


Episode CIV

by SBlev92



Series: The Epilogue Trilogy [3]
Category: Samurai Jack (Cartoon)
Genre: Epilogue, F/M, Final Battle, Love, Magic, Post-Finale, Quests, Series Spoilers, Violence, Wizards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-31
Updated: 2017-05-31
Packaged: 2018-11-07 02:04:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11049015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SBlev92/pseuds/SBlev92
Summary: Jack and Rōjin enter the Hall of Time at long last and attempt to use its incredible powers to bring Ashi and the wizard's late friend back from the dead. However once inside, Jack is faced with an unsettling and heartbreaking truth, and realizes that restoring Ashi may not be as simple as he thought. Meanwhile, the Emperor arrives at the temple as well, determined to stop a destructive, unforeseen result of Jack's journey.





	Episode CIV

**Disclaimer: _Samurai Jack_ and all related characters, locations, and events belong to Genndy Tartakovsky and Cartoon Network/Adult Swim. I own nothing outside of a few original characters. I also understand that this work is intended for entertainment purposes on a free fanfiction site. I will see no profit from it whatsoever.**

The jungle was quiet, not a sound to be heard save for a few birds squawking in the distance, and the organized marching of the Emperor’s soldiers. The Emperor himself walked in front, shoving past trees and bushes, and daring any beast or wildman to attack him. As he walked, he could not help recalling the final day of his subjugation to Aku. 

His old, grizzled body quivered as Aku’s most sadistic minion burned his flesh with fireballs from his hand, scratched him with long, dirty fingernails, and subjected him to agony in the most horrible ways. 

“My master wants you good and broken.” The henchman growled. “I will do my best to shatter your spirit into pieces!” Suddenly, a large explosion was heard in the distance, and the Emperor raised his head to see the glorious sight of Aku’s tower explode in a fiery cloud. For the first time in years, a smile was brought to the Emperor’s face, for his son had succeeded. Many of Aku’s demonic minions vanished into thin air, and the magic keeping the Emperor old was broken. Before long, Jack himself crashed into the prison, along with a beautiful young woman dressed in black from the neck down. 

“Servants of Aku!” Jack shouted, sword raised. “Your master is dead, you will leave this land forever or else you will join him!” Aku’s mortal minions fled, including the one torturing the Emperor. He swore to hunt down the minion and exact revenge, but the villainous figure simply turned around and scowled at him. The Emperor would never forget his face as long as he lived. Suddenly, his train of thought was interrupted by the frantic sound of wings flapping. 

“Your majesty!” Mandarin said, quickly landing on the Emperor’s shoulder. “Jack and Rōjin are at the Hall of Time right now!” 

“No!” The Emperor said under his breath. “Company, we must hasten!” He and his men hurried towards the temple as fast as they could, he was not going to let this happen. Not this way. 

  


  


  


“At long last, our great journey has reached its end.” Rōjin said, admiring the temple. “Now, let’s do what must be done.” The two approached the dark, gaping entrance of the temple, its large monkey statue looking much more intimidating close up. As they reached the stone steps leading upward, they heard a loud roar echo from inside. 

“Of course.” Rōjin said. “Great powers like these would undoubtedly be guarded by some sort of-” Mid sentence, a form emerged from the darkness, but to the duo’s surprise, it took the shape of a small, pink, puffy rabbit-like creature with large eyes and butterfly antennae. 

“Fearsome beast?” Rōjin finished. “Well, never mind then, let’s press on!” 

“Wait.” Jack said, placing a hand on the wizard’s shoulder. “I have seen this kind of thing before. As soon as we approach, it will transform into a giant monster and attack us. Let me go first.” 

Jack slowly approached the staircase, eyes locked on the seemingly harmless creature and occasionally taking a small step backwards. Rōjin gawked at the samurai, dumbfounded by his behavior. Jack cautiously crept up the stairs, not taking his eyes off the puffball. It quickly raised its leg to scratch its head, causing Jack to jump backwards and draw his sword halfway out of its hilt. 

“Jack, it’s not going to transform, just go!” Rōjin finally shouted. 

“Oh, um, very well then.” He walked more quickly up the steps to the creature. “Um, I’m going to use the Hall of Time, is that alright?” the thing simply stared back at him, blinking innocently. 

“You’re just a harmless little fellow, aren’t you?” he reached down to pat it. The creature licked its front paws and then rubbed them on the top of its head, washing its face. “Um, yes well, that’s nice. Just gonna go now. Rōjin, are you coming?” 

Rōjin wasn’t moving, he was more concentrated on the large pair of red eyes and the many sharp teeth watching Jack from the doorway. Jack turned to face it, only to be knocked off the staircase by a loud roar. He looked up to see a much larger version of the pink puffball; this one had dirty, matted fur, bent whiskers, and spikes on its antennae. This was the _mother_ of the little animal that initially greeted the duo! The monster leapt off of the platform and came down on the pair, who quickly rolled out of the way. 

Jack withdrew his sword and charged at the creature, dodging her massive paws and blocking strikes from her antennae. Rōjin hurled fireballs at the monster’s side, but she simply turned and swatted him into a nearby stone, knocking him out. This incensed Jack, who slashed deep into the monster’s leg; she let out a loud howl of pain and came down on Jack, who rolled out from under her and plunged the blade into the creature’s hip. The beast shook hard, sending Jack flying yet leaving the sword still sticking out of her side. 

Jack raised his head up to see her charging towards him, mouth open to reveal her jagged teeth. Jumping to his feet, Jack ran towards the creature and climbed on her back; he grabbed two tufts of fur and pulled as hard as he could, steering the rampaging monster into the side of the temple. Jack withdrew his sword out of the dizzied beast and raised it above the back of her neck, ready to deliver a killing blow, when he heard a small, squeaky cooing. He turned to see the smaller creature, eyes watering and body trembling with fear. This gave Jack pause: all else aside, this was still a child watching someone about to kill its mother. He climbed down and approached the baby, and gently scooped it up in his arms. 

“There, there, little one.” He said calmly, carrying it to its mother. He sat the baby down in front of the larger creature and backed up. The mother, seeing Jack’s kind nature, let out a deep growl of reluctant respect. She very gently picked up the baby in her teeth, placed it on her back, and gave one last approving look at Jack before turning and disappearing into the forest. 

“Uhhh….what happened?” Rōjin said, beginning to wake up and rubbing his head. 

“It’s okay, the creature’s gone.” Jack said as he helped Rōjin to his feet. “Now, let’s go.” The two crossed the threshold into the Hall of Time and found themselves in a large, open room decorated by glowing blue glyphs on the stone walls, and enormous sculptures of various time-telling devices such as hourglasses and sundials, as well as those that had yet to be invented, such as grandfather clocks and smartphones. 

“Wow. In all my travels, I have never seen such a sight.” Jack admired as he looked around. “How did this place come to be?” 

“The legend changes depending on who you ask.” Rōjin replied. “Some say one of the gods went rogue and gave this as a gift to mankind, despite the wishes of his contemporaries. Others say it simply formed on its own, the magic within having a kind of sentience. Me, I don’t care either way how it got here, as long as it can revive my friend.” 

“And Ashi as well, right?” Jack reminded. 

“Oh yes, yes. Of course Ashi.” Rōjin said hurriedly. “That’s the whole reason you’re here, is it not?” The two began down a long hallway lined with strange, blue, luminous letters. The letters stretched the length of both walls; Jack could not decipher what they meant, however. 

“Ah, this room.” Rōjin said. “Upon those walls is written a full record of everything that has and will happen in human history. Alas, it is written in an ancient language that no one alive today knows. What a great privilege it would be to know everything that will _ever_ happen! Think of the great things one could accomplish with such knowledge! Sadly, ‘tis another unattainable gift from the Hall of Time.” 

They entered another, larger hallway and this one contained rows upon rows of time portals, each a window into another era. Some led to the past, others to the near future, and others still into the far, far future. These Jack paid special attention to, as he was intrigued to see how the future he knew would change without Aku in it. He peeked into a portal leading to the distant future, and saw not the oppressed, dystopian cities he remembered, but bright, prosperous utopias that appeared technologically advanced. 

Other portals revealed the fates of some of his yet-to-be-born allies. Many of the various alien races he encountered did eventually find their way to Earth, but were greeted with open arms by governments willing to assist them, rather than the shackles and chains of Aku’s regime. The Woolies did initially have trouble with the Chritchellites, however thanks to the interconnectivity of an Aku-less future, neighboring militaries responded and cleared them out quickly. The Ravers were part of an international movement to get people fit and active via dance. The jumping Monkey Man was now a zookeeper who frequently remarked on the monkeys’ ability to, well, jump good. The Blind Archers were very popular Olympic athletes who frequently won gold medals in (what else?) archery. 

Finally, the archeologist dogs now had their own Museum of Human and Canine History that attracted a lot of visitors. There were several significant historical artifacts on display, but what really caught his attention was a giant stone statue of Jack himself! He’d never seen this statue before so it must’ve been constructed years into the future. In fact, there was a whole wing dedicated to artifacts about him! Obviously, the slaying of Aku was such a significant moment in history, that Jack is _still_ considered a hero hundreds of years in the future. It almost brought him to tears to think that, even though they never actually met, his future allies still respected him and, in a way, knew him. 

“Jack, I know all of this appeals to you.” Rōjin said. “But it is important to not get caught up on visions of the future. Remember: _nothing_ is set in stone, and could very well change.” 

“Right, sorry.” Jack said, turning to continue. However, he was stopped when he heard a very familiar voice coming from one of the portals. 

“WELL NOW, WHAT DO YA THINK YER DOIN’ LADDIE!?” Jack quickly looked and saw his old friend the Scotsman, both legs intact and living in a fairly modern looking home. Next to him was Flora, his eldest daughter, looking slightly embarrassed. In front of him was a thin, rather large-nosed young man with black hair and an eyebrow-ring. He seemed to be on the receiving end of the Scotsman’s tirade. 

“What’s the idea of ye tryin’ ter date me daughter?” he shouted, a liberal amount of spit flying out of his mouth. “I wouldn’t wipe me boots with ya, much less turn ya loose with one of me girls!” 

“Dad, leave him alone.” Flora said, rolling her eyes. “I love him!” 

“No! I only want wha’s best fer this family!” He said, getting in the kid’s face. “And you ain’t the best!” 

“Back off, old man. I know karate!” The kid said. 

“Ooh, he ‘knows karate!’” The Scotsman said in fake intimidation. “Ya think I’m scared a’ you? Ya’ ain’t a man, yer jus’ a snivelin’ bawheid huddy. Ya’ make me wanna boak jus’ lookin’ at ya. Ya hackit, big-beaked, peely wally, pierce-browed, dafty li’l milquetoast! Look at ye’ with yer big nose and yer long legs! Ya’ look like a stork with a wig on!” 

The kid was quick to fire back. “Oh yeah, that’s big talk coming from you, you hairy, balding, orangutan-looking, yellow-toothed, skirt-wearing, pipe-playing, barrel chested, thick-whiskered, wrinkled old primate!” Both Flora and the Scotsman were absolutely stunned. The Scotsman didn’t know what to do, his eyes darting back and forth between this kid and his daughter, before finally taking the kid and pushing him into Flora’s arms. 

“On second thought, welcome to the family, lad! Ye’ll fit in nicely here!” he said. Jack laughed heartily at this exchange. As much as he loved being back in his own time, he did miss some of his comrades. 

“You find that crude gentleman amusing?” Rōjin asked. 

“Oh, he was a dear friend from Aku’s future.” Jack said. “Sorry, let us proceed.” 

“This Jack, this is why we came here!” Rōjin said proudly as they entered a smaller (but still large) rectangular room. The floor ended halfway through and dropped off into a large, seemingly bottomless chasm. The walls were lined with life-sized statues of armored soldiers and on the far wall was an enormous statue of a veiled woman with a calm look on her face, hands extended outward towards the entrance. The centerpiece however was the enormous spool of thread that hung above the chasm by chains, others of which dangled down in various points from the ceiling. Sitting just near the edge of the drop was a large stone wheel with a groove down the center and a handle on either side. Jutting outward next to this wheel was a wide metal plate, whose purpose wasn’t yet clear. 

“Jack, behold the Threads of Life.” Rōjin said. “Whenever a person dies, the thread linking their soul to this world is deposited here on this spool. In order to bring someone back from the dead, all you need do is step forward, close your eyes, bow, and say ‘Oh great Mistress of Time, I wish to revive…’ and speak the name of the person you want to bring back. Their thread will be plucked from the spool and placed on that wheel, and then you simply spin them back into existence. It’s that easy!” 

“Simply incredible.” Jack said, awestruck. “Rōjin, I cannot thank you enough for bringing me here, I will never forget this great deed of yours.” 

“Oh, I have no doubt about that, my son.” He replied with a smile. “Now, approach the statue.” Jack turned to face the statue and began advancing towards the edge of the drop; he was _finally_ going to be reunited with Ashi! 

  


  


  


“Hurry men, inside now!” the Emperor said as he and his men finally reached the Hall of Time. He rushed in, with Mandarin flying alongside and his army following. As the Emperor barreled through the temple, his thoughts drifted to the day Jack returned and drove out Aku’s minions. As the villains fled, his torturer turned around and gave one last scowl at the Emperor. Jack never saw his face, the crafty little devil wouldn’t let him, but the Emperor would never forget that disgusting figure in the purple-and-black robe. He would never forget the wrinkled face of that horrible old man with the thin white beard, and the accursed square amulet that hung from his neck that allowed him to torture the Emperor, and so many others. 

  


  


  


“Jack.” Rōjin said as the samurai was almost to the edge of the drop. “Would it be okay if I bring back my friend first? I miss him dearly.” 

“Sure.” Jack smiled and stood aside. 

“Thank you.” Rōjin said. He approached the edge of the cliff, bowed and closed his eyes. 

“Oh great Mistress of Time, I wish to revive…Aku!” he shouted with an evil grin. 

“What!?” Jack shouted. Before he could react, Rōjin flung his hand at the samurai, suspending him in the air as two of the dangling chains flew down and wrapped around his wrists. Jack watched in horror as the statue’s eyes lit up and a loud ringing noise was heard. Suddenly, a deep black thread with smoke swirling around it levitated up from the spool and floated to the wheel, resting in the center groove. 

“Hikaru was right all along!” Jack shouted. “You _are_ up to no good!” 

“Yes Jack, it’s true that the Guardians of Light didn’t want anyone at all to tamper with time, but they took special care to try and keep me from it. But you helped rid me of those nosy pests once and for all!” the wizard said. “Thank you.” 

“Why, Rōjin? Why are you aiding Aku?” 

“Even demons have their followers, Jack.” Rōjin explained. “I happened to be his most loyal. He made me swear that, should he ever be destroyed, I would seek this place out and revive him. Of course, I knew that the first thing my master would want to do when he returned is kill you, so I brought you along with the promise of bringing your little whore back from the dead, and used visions of her to keep you at my side.” 

“Visions? What are you talking about?” Jack asked. Rōjin rolled his eyes and waved his hand. A translucent image of Ashi, much like the ones he’d seen up until that point, manifested. 

“Oh Jack, Jack, you have to protect Rōjin from Hikaru!” she said, the wizard mouthing the words as well. “And you have to reach the temple, it’s the only way you’ll see me again!” 

“Jack, she’s gone. _Forever_. This place can’t save her! It only affects _this_ timeline, and can do nothing about those born in others!” 

“But you said-” Jack started. 

“‘But you said this place could reach into any timeline!’” Rōjin mocked in a high-pitched voice. “I _lied_! I said what I had to say to get you here.” 

Jack hung his head and almost felt like he was choking. The chances of seeing his love again had now been cruelly snatched from him after so many days of hope. He could actually feel his heart break as he hung there, tears pouring out of his face. It was truly hard for him to even breathe. 

“Aww, cheer up, Samurai!” Rōjin said, lifting his head up with one of his clawed fingernails. “Your despair will end soon. But now it is time for you to witness the Rebirth of Evil!” He hurried to the wheel, grabbed hold of one of the handles and prepared to spin it, but seemed to have considerable trouble. Rōjin struggled futilely as he tried to spin the wheel, which would barely budge. 

“Oh, drat this old body!” He cursed. “As my reward for reviving him, I’m going to ask Aku to make me forty years younger!” He produced a magical tether, which grasped the wheel handle and turned it more easily. A large orange circle began to swirl on the metal plate and the black base that served as Aku’s feet slowly started to form. Suddenly, Rōjin’s concentration was broken by an arrow that pierced the side of the wheel, and two throwing axes spun into the room, severing the chains that held Jack up. He turned to see his father and a group of soldiers standing in the doorway. 

“Rōjin the Malicious!” The Emperor said. “I told you I’d hunt you down, and now here you are with my son in chains, trying to revive our sworn enemy.” 

“Well, well, if it isn’t the old crybaby himself!” Rōjin mocked. “Did you come here for more torture?” 

“No, I came here to rescue my son and to kill you!” The Emperor said. 

“Hahahaha, good luck accomplishing _either_ of those things!” Rōjin cackled and raised his hand into the air. A series of blue energy beams flew from his palm and into the heads of the soldier statues, causing them to come to life and step off their pedestals. 

“Alright Jakku,” The Emperor said as they both drew their swords. “Time for you to see how your old man used to deal with vermin.” As his army charged in, weapons drawn, the statues surrounded the warriors and a massive battle ensued. Jack and his father held back blows from the statues’ swords, their own blades slicing through the old, cracked stone with relative ease. The Emperor’s troops themselves had less luck, still keeping the upper hand but losing a few men in the process. Mandarin did what he could, struggling to lift a large stone over one of the statues’ heads. 

“Take this!” he said, dropping it. The stone, which had little effect, bounced off its head and rolled away. The statue glare angrily up at the duck. 

“You know what? Never mind, sorry, sorry.” He said, flying somewhere to hide. 

“Jakku, we have to stop him!” The Emperor said as he decapitated another statue. They pushed past the attackers and charged at Rōjin, who had resumed turning the crank. Aku’s stomach and lower arms had now manifested; Rōjin turned mid-crank to face the samurais. 

“Oh no, you don’t!” he said, blasting lightning from his hand, which they barely blocked with their swords. The Emperor broke free and went around, raising his sword above Rōjin, but the evil sorcerer pushed him off his feet with his other hand. Jack rolled out of the way of the lightning and jumped into the air, preparing to bring his sword down on Rōjin. However, just as the sword touched the top of his head, he dissipated into a cloud of mist and flew just behind Jack. 

Rōjin re-materialized and summoned a gust of wind, knocking Jack’s sword out of his hand and sending him over the edge of the chasm. He managed to grab onto the ledge at the last second, however Rōjin stood above him, spraying fire from his fingertips onto Jack’s hands to get him to let go. As he was about to give in, the Emperor swung his sword hard at Rōjin, cutting a deep gash into his arm, and kicked him out of the way. 

“Are you alright, son?” The Emperor asked, pulling Jack up. 

“Yes.” He simply replied. “Thank you.” 

“Enough!” Rōjin said, sending the two of them flying into the far wall. As Jack and the Emperor were dizzied, Rōjin raised his hand towards the ceiling and caused a chunk of roof to crash down on top of them, burying them in rubble. Rōjin cackled at his apparent victory, but was nearly impaled by a crossbow bolt flying across his face. 

“For his majesty the Emperor!” One of the soldiers said, loading and firing another bolt. An amused Rōjin grabbed the bolt mid-flight and disintegrated it. He then raised the soldier into the air, snapped his neck, and tossed his body aside, before returning to the wheel, cackling as he spun it. Using every ounce of adrenaline he had, Jack pushed the rubble off of him, and then dug out his father. The latter immediately locked onto Aku, who was nearly fully regenerated. 

“Oh no, we are too late!” he shouted in a panic. 

“No we are not.” Jack said. Positioning himself on top of the rubble, he kicked off as hard as he could and soared through the air towards the thread, sword raised. 

“What!?” Rōjin cried, astonished. “I didn’t know you could _fly_!” 

“No fly, jump good!” Jack replied. He brought his sword down on a section of thread near the wheel and cleanly sliced into it, causing the manifestation of Aku on the plate to combust into flames and the magical circle to disappear. 

“NO!” Rōjin shouted. He knocked Jack off his feet and summoned vines from cracks in the floor to hold him down. He then used an electrical tether to pick up the Emperor and bring him to his face. 

“Looks like your son will have to witness the death of _another_ loved one.” Rōjin scowled. “I enjoyed torturing you before, and now I’m going to love _killing_ you!” He sent an electric surge through the tether, causing the Emperor to convulse and cry out in agony. Seeing his father die before him caused Jack to furiously pull and tug at the vines until he finally managed to pull loose. 

“No!” he shouted, picking up his sword. Jack hurled the blade as hard as he could. Rōjin turned in time to see it shatter his amulet and pierce through his chest, causing him to drop the Emperor and stagger backward. Jack did not want to take another human life, but it was the only way to save his father. Clutching at the sword sticking out of his body, Rōjin continued to stagger until he eventually fell over the side of the chasm; he grabbed onto the remains of Aku’s life thread, but that was pulled free from the wheel and fell into the depths with him, ensuring the Shogun of Sorrow could never return to life. The statues fell lifeless and the remaining soldiers shouted in victory; Mandarin breathed a sigh of relief and flew down from his perch.

“Father.” Jack said, hugging the Emperor. “I am sorry I ran off, I did not know of Rōjin’s intentions. I just…I just wanted Ashi back.” 

“It’s alright my son.” The Emperor replied. “Men do insane things in the name of love. You were just following your heart. Speaking of which, I believe the wheel is free to use now!” Jack simply gave him a look of both sadness and doubt. He knew what Rōjin had told him. 

“Hey, you came all this way did you not?” The Emperor smiled sympathetically. “The least you can do is try!” Jack turned towards the wheel, exhaled, and slowly walked to the edge of the chasm. He bowed and closed his eyes. 

“Oh great Mistress of Time.” He started, his voice a little shaky. “I wish to revive Ashi.” Jack looked up, and nothing happened. The statue of the woman remained in place and nothing floated from the spool. 

“Oh great Mistress of Time, I wish to revive Ashi!” he shouted more desperately. “P-please…” Again, nothing happened. The watery-eyed samurai stood up, defeated, his head hung in sadness. 

“I’m sorry, my son.” The Emperor placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder. 

“Let’s just get out of here.” Jack turned to leave. As he walked away, he distinctly heard the loud ringing sound from before. 

“Jakku, look!” The Emperor said. Jack turned around, and the statue’s eyes were now glowing, and a lower part of the chasm had lit up to reveal another, smaller spool populated by a single thread. 

“My, my. This place never ceases to surprise!” The Emperor stated. “It would appear that a new spool has recently been created, one for those who existed and died in this timeline, but were not born in it!” 

The single thread lifted into the air and floated onto the wheel. Jack and the Emperor quickly ran to the wheel and began turning the cranks. The magic circle returned to the metal plate and a female figure slowly appeared within. 

“That’s it son, keep turning!” The Emperor said. The two spun the wheel quickly until the last of the thread disappeared under the wheel. Jack looked at the plate and there, eyes closed with a calm smile on her face, stood Ashi. Out of everything he’s seen over the course of his life and all the exotic places he’s been to, the sight of his lover, alive once again, was still the most beautiful thing his eyes had ever witnessed. 

“Ashi!” he shouted, running to her and holding her in a tight embrace. “I can’t believe it’s you!” 

“Jack? I’m…alive? But how?” she asked. 

“It’s a long story, I’ll tell you on the way home.” Jack said. “I’m just so glad to have you back.” He stood there holding onto her for several minutes, afraid that if he let her go, she might fade away again. 

“Uh, Jack.” Ashi said. “I’m naked again.” 

“Oh, sorry!” A blushing Jack said, pulling off his robe and wrapping it around her. “So, shall we try the wedding again?” 

“Yes.” She replied. “And this time, I promise not to vanish into thin air at the alter!” 

“I’ll hold you to that.” Jack quipped as the two kissed. Jack’s quest had finally ended, he finally had the one thing he wanted most in the world: the woman he loved in his arms once again. The Emperor couldn’t have been more proud of his son; after everything he’s gone through and everything he’s done, he still remained the principled, selfless boy that the Emperor hoped he would be. He smiled at his son and his bride, and approached the spool to revive his fallen soldiers. 

  


  


  


The wedding commenced shortly after everyone had returned; other than a rather nervous groom as the bride walked down the aisle for a second time, it was a pleasant ceremony. A short while after the wedding, Ashi stood on the balcony of the palace, looking out and admiring the sight of the kingdom, and the cherry blossom-filled mountains beyond. 

“Ashi, the feast is about to be served. “Jack said, joining her on the balcony. “Are you coming?” 

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a sec.” She said. “I was just taking in the beauty of your homeland. There never was anything like this in the future.” 

Jack placed his arm around Ashi and took her hand. “This is our future now, and it’s one we can share together.” 

“Jack? Thank you for going through what you did to get me back.” Ashi said. 

“I had no choice.” Jack replied warmly. “I could not live without you. You are my entire world.” 

Ashi rested her head on Jack’s shoulder as the two looked out at the horizon. Neither of them said a word for several minutes, but they didn’t need to. They both knew what the other was thinking: now that they were together again, they both had everything they needed. And now they could get to work creating a new, bright future. It would be a future without Aku or the misery he brought into the world. It would be a future worth living in. 

**The End**


End file.
